Scars to Mend
by Steph's Puppet
Summary: Ross seemed to have everything before he left for the war, he returns to find that in his absence he has lost nearly all that he cherished. He now faces rebuilding his life and trying to move on from his abruptly called off engagement. Modern AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**

 **I do not own the rights to the Poldark Saga book series by Winston Graham, or the Poldark 1975 series, or the Poldark 2015 series. This is a non-profit piece of work done with the sole purpose to entertain.**

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Scars to Mend

Chapter 1

Already well on his way to being drunk, Ross stumbled ungracefully from a bar he had just been kicked out of. He may have been friendly with the bartender, but Jim refused to let Ross drown his sorrows any further and firmly sent the still uniformed man home. Ross had no intention of going home, despite Jim's thoughts he was entirely too sober, his brain still not foggy enough to let Ross forget the revelations of his homecoming. He wandered idly around, trying to find somewhere suitable, entirely aware that he was no longer in the safe part of town and was now entering the less reputable areas.

Spying a pub that looked suitable for Ross's needs, Ross straightened himself up before entering so that he would look sober enough not to be turned away. Once inside, Ross realised he needn't have bothered, this was not the kind of establishment that would cut a paying customer off. Several heavily tattooed and intimidating looking men turned to look in his direction as the door closed behind him, but Ross ignored them and they soon returned to their business.

Looking for a place to sit, Ross's attention was immediately caught by the presence of someone who stood out from the crowd even more than he did. Sitting behind the bar, the first thing Ross noticed about the woman was the mass of flaming hair that curled and twisted down her back, the red contrasting against the black dress she was wearing that clung to her slender form.

Had it not been for the clear 'do not mess with me' vibe that she was sending out, Ross would have assumed that, alone and dressed as she was, she was looking for some company for that night. The wide berth that the other bar-goers had given her seemed to confirm that everyone else had come to the same conclusion as Ross, that she was in no mood to be bothered. Ross could only assume that her very flattering attire was chosen more out of personal preference than out of a desire to attract admirers.

The woman seemed to be on the same road as Ross, in front of her were a considerable number of empty shot glasses, neatly stacked together. It appeared that she had moved on from shots some time before Ross had arrived as now she was drinking some unidentified alcoholic beverage in a long glass. The seat beside her was empty, so Ross took it and ordered a whisky from the man behind the bar. The man moved around the bar fulfilling all other orders, even those made after Ross, until finally Ross was given his drink. The man barked an exorbitant price with a glare, clearly distrusting the outsider. Ross handed over the money without complaint, and took a sip, grimacing in distaste. He downed the rest of it as quickly as possible, partly to get over the taste and partly because it might speed up the time needed for Ross to get as drunk as he wanted. Before the man could move on, Ross ordered another drink.

Beside him the woman did not react to his presence, her slightly glazed expression indicated she was further gone than he currently was, but Ross would no doubt catch up soon enough. She was extremely pretty, Ross noticed, not conventionally so but in an unearthly way. As though she was a mermaid who had one day pulled herself up on the Cornish coast and chosen to walk among humans.

Her eyes were a clear green colour, Ross was sure that if she was more aware the colour would be piercing. The green was framed with black mascara that had been carefully applied. The only other makeup she seemed to be wearing was a red lipstick that stained the glass she was drinking from. None of her other glasses carried the same mark, which intrigued Ross until the woman finished the rest of her drink, and absently wiped the mark away with a tissue before putting her empty glass beside the others. Without prompt, the man behind the bar brought her another and accepted the coins she pushed towards him in return.

"You look as miserable as I feel." Ross commented, causing her to turn towards him. Even drunk, there was a spark of intelligence in her eyes that seemed to challenge him. She appraised him over the rim of her glass, taking in the military uniform and his own more modest stack of glasses.

"I wonder which of us has the better story." She replied in a thick Cornish accent, Ross could tell she was not entirely engaged in the conversation, but she did not seem particularly antagonistic.

"I am sure that I do." Ross said confidently, at her enquiring eyebrow he continued. "But I am not yet drunk enough to divulge my truly terrible day." He paused, eyeing the mysterious liquid in her glass. "What on earth are you drinking?"

"I have no idea." She replied. "It's cheap." It looked it, and now the shots made a little more sense. Ross remembered his university years, when his father had cut him off, shots were a quick way to make even the most unappetising beverage suddenly drinkable. Finishing off his whisky, Ross asked the barman for whatever she was drinking, much to the woman's amusement. It seemed that her cold façade was not normal for her, as she was not able to maintain it for long. Taking a sip, Ross recoiled in disgust.

"This tastes of piss." He informed her, she nodded with a smile.

"You get used to it." Downing the unpleasantness, Ross ordered two drinks of something that looked a little more drinkable. When it arrived, Ross paid and pushed one of the drinks in front of his companion.

"I hope you know that I won't sleep with you just for buying me a drink." She told him, finishing off her previous drink before picking up the one he bought for her.

"I cannot sit next to you and watch you drink that swill." Ross explained. "Although I think buying you a drink at least gets me a name." Ross thought for a moment that she was not going to acquiesce as she suddenly looked a little apprehensive.

"Demelza." She said eventually, Ross noting her omission of a last name.

"Ross." He replied.

Within a few more drinks, Ross felt the pleasant numbness he had been searching for all night. Demelza had reined back a little, not stopping but now drinking a lot more slowly.

"So what's your story then?" Demelza asked, bringing up again their previous short discussion, although this time she seemed more interested.

"I returned from Afghanistan today." Ross started. "I've been away for a year." Ross avoided mentioning anything more about his time away, not wanting to linger on those unpleasant memories. Demelza did not pry, her glass forgotten by her side as she listened intently.

"While I was gone, my father was diagnosed with cancer, which he did not tell me about. He died while I was away." Ross did not look at her, not wanting to see the pity in her eyes when he was already drowning in it himself. He hadn't even been able to attend the funeral as the news had arrived too late for Ross to make it back in time.

"That's awful." She said sympathetically.

"It gets worse." Ross told her, gearing himself up for finally admitting aloud what had occurred. "When I arrived at my flat this morning, I found my fiancée- my ex-fiancée," Ross corrected with a fresh burst of anger, "in bed with my cousin."

The scene was scorched into this memory, Ross wondered if he would ever be able to forget it. He had returned to his flat early in the morning, hoping Elizabeth would be there so that she could console him over his father's death and so that he knew that at least he had her support. Instead he had found her seeking her own comfort with Francis.

"Judas." Demelza cursed in shock. "What did you do?"

"I told them to get out of my flat, and I told Elizabeth that I would burn any of her possessions that were still in the flat when I returned." Telling the story forced Ross to relieve the awful moment and his own anger, but explaining what had happened to a stranger was oddly therapeutic. "She didn't even say anything, she just lay there looking shocked." He murmured. Demelza reached out tentatively and covered her hand with his own.

"You win." She told him with a sad smile. "That is a terribly day. If anything though, at least you found out about your fiancée before you married her."

"Every cloud has a silver lining." Ross muttered darkly, Demelza squeezed his hand with some comfort before removing hers. "What's your story?" He echoed back at her. She shrugged back at him.

"My own bad relationship ended recently." She said simply, taking her turn to avoid his gaze. Suspecting that she would clam up if he pried, Ross didn't and ordered them another round of drinks.

They continued talking and drinking as slowly the crowded bar thinned at people trickled out of the entrance and fewer people arrived. Demelza opened up a little more after Ross's confession, and Ross found his admiration of her grow as her blunt honesty was oddly charming. She didn't ever talk about her past, not her family nor her past relationship. In turn Ross avoided those own subjects about himself.

He found out that she was currently working as a waitress, which explained her conscientiousness about removing lipstick from glasses, knowing from experience how difficult it could be to wash off.

"It's temporary." Demelza explained. "I'm working my way up, I'm hoping they'll let me work in the kitchen soon." She brightened up when she spoke about food, and was obviously passionate about cooking. She clearly had a dream that she had not actually vocalised, and Ross found himself a little envious of her clear conviction and hopes for the future. Ross's own future was a blur of unknowns, he had no idea what he wanted to d/.o, only that he had inherited a failing company that he would have to revive, and an empty house littered with his father's things.

Thoroughly drunk, Ross found his gaze lingering on Demelza as his year-long abstinence seemed to hit him with a sudden force. Her dress ended above her knees, exposing much of her long legs which ended with a pair of modestly high heels. The dress was strapless and clung to her tightly, so much so that when he noticed, he had to force himself to look back at her face. Demelza seemed mostly unaware of his attention, but Ross was sure that he caught a few admiring glances from her towards him.

Last orders came and went, and before Ross knew it the owner was telling them the pub was closing and they would have to leave. The owner still treated Ross with suspicion, but the man seemed kinder to Demelza, asking her if she was going to be okay getting home. Demelza waved off his concerns with a thankful smile.

Stood up with her heels, Demelza was the same height as Ross, he had suspected that she would be tall while he was admiring her legs. She was not entirely steady, even with the short heels, and after she had shrugged on an old and well-worn coat, Ross offered her his arm with an amused smile as they both walked out of the pub, neither managing to walk in a completely straight line.

"What are you going to do?" Demelza asked, leaning on him a little as they stopped in preparation to separate.

"I can't face going back to my flat." Ross admitted, there was a chance that Elizabeth was still there and Ross could not handle seeing her again. His father's former home was also out of the question. "I think I'll find a hotel to stay in."

"There aren't any nearby hotels." Demelza told him. "Not any you would want to sleep in anyway."

"I might have to get a cab back to the city centre." Ross said thoughtfully, the hotel and cab would cost him a pretty penny, but it would be worth it if he could avoid seeing Elizabeth until he was sober again. Demelza looked at him indecisively, biting her lip endearingly.

"I don't do this very often." She said hesitantly, glancing at her hands nervously. "But my flat isn't very far away." She didn't need to explain any further for Ross to understand her meaning.

The thought of going home with someone had not been on Ross's mind when he had set off for a drunken bender, but he had felt unbearably lonely for a year, and despite Demelza's own recent relationship she looked like she felt the same.

"Lead the way." He said simply, Demelza smiled shyly at him. With a firm grip on his arm, Demelza pulled him along in the direction of her flat.

* * *

Arriving at the flat, Demelza fished out her keys, and with some difficulty due to her own inebriation tried to fit the key into the lock. Ross tried to help her, but was just as inept, causing Demelza to fall back on him with laughter that she vainly tried to stifle. Eventually, working together they succeeded, and with extreme care Demelza opened the door.

The flat was very small, but clean and well maintained. There was a note on the table by the entrance that Demelza stopped to read. Ross took the opportunity to wrap his arms around her waist, enjoying the closeness she provided. They had touched quite a few times on the way to the flat, hands entwining and pressing close together, but they had not kissed yet, although there was a spot on Demelza's neck that Ross wanted to pay attention to at some point that night.

"My flatmate is at her boyfriend's tonight." Demelza said, and closed the door behind them with less care now that she knew she wasn't in danger of waking her friend up. Demelza gently pushed Ross towards a particular door, before disentangling herself.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, make yourself at home." She glanced back at him over her shoulder as she went into what Ross could see was the kitchen. Opening the bedroom door, Ross went inside.

Demelza's room was as neat and tidy as what Ross had seen of the rest of the flat. Considering Demelza's bright and cheery personality, Ross was not expecting her room to be as bare and plain as it was. The only decoration was a small inexpensive vase filled with some wildflowers that were starting to wilt a little. It looked more like a guestroom than a room that someone was actually living in. Ross paused to pick up a family photo, there was a woman with the same fire coloured hair that Ross assumed was Demelza's mother beside a man who was probably her father. Surrounding the couple was a mass of children, all of them except a younger Demelza were boys. She must have had quite the childhood, Ross thought.

When Demelza returned, Ross put the photo back. On the bedside table she put two glasses of water and a packet of headache tablets.

"I like to be prepared." Demelza explained with a small smile.

"It's always good to be prepared." Ross replied, pulling her close. She was shorter now, and Ross realised that while she had been gone she had removed her heels. He gently brushed away a few errant strands of hair that had fallen over her eyes. She looked up at him with an unreadable expression, her arms reaching up to rest on his shoulders.

Ross leaned in and kissed her gently, savouring the first truly intimate contact he had partaken in since he had left the country. Demelza kissed him back, sighing against him in enjoyment. Ross's hands fumbled around her size for the zipper on her dress, and he suddenly wished he was sober so he could truly enjoy the woman before him instead of experiencing her muted by the alcohol in his system.

Ross found the zipper at the same time as Demelza found the buttons on his shirt. He was acutely aware of her nimble fingers at work as he carefully pulled the zipper down. She shivered a little against him as his thumb gently traced the path of the newly exposed skin. The separated for a moment to discard Ross's shirt before he claimed her lips again.

He enjoyed the way her hand flattened against his chest for a moment, before travelling downwards to deal with his belt. Ross had less trouble undressing her as with a little assistance, the black material of her dress slid to the floor. Demelza stepped out of the circle of fabric, and kicked it to the side of the room. Ross allowed himself a momentary pause to run a hand from her neck down to her back. She wasn't wearing a bra, although considering the dress Ross felt a little stupid for not realising that would be the case before. He pressed close against her, enjoying the skin to skin contact, as Demelza finally managed to remove his belt which was thrown onto the same pile as her dress and his shirt. The belt was swiftly joined by Ross's trousers.

Down to their last items of clothing, Ross found himself a little impatient and picked Demelza up. Her legs immediately wrapped around his waist as she allowed him to carry her to the bed, Ross's lips finding her her neck as they travelled over.

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 **Author's Note:**

 **I feel that everyone should know that when I was advertising this on my other fic 'Second Chances' I almost said "It begins with a bang" I quickly removed the sentence when I realised the awful inadvertent pun I had just made. So as you can probably tell, my modern AU is completely different from the series. The Ross/Elizabeth situation is particularly going to be completely different because I can't see how in a modern world their relationship would develop as it did in the series.** **If any of you are worried about Demelza being out of character there are reasons for it which will be explained later in the fic. Also for anyone concerned that Demelza is Ross's rebound, she technically is (let's face it in the series she is his rebound until he realises how awesome she is), that will change over the course of the fic.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Previously: Down to their last items of clothing, Ross found himself a little impatient and picked Demelza up. Her legs immediately wrapped around his waist as she allowed him to carry her to the bed, Ross's lips finding her her neck as they travelled over.**

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Scars to Mend

Chapter 2

Ross awoke to a blinding headache and a complaining bladder. He opened his eyes to an unfamiliar room and it took him a few minutes to remember how he had come to this place. Turning his head, Ross found Demelza asleep by his side, her mass of hair fanned around her head like a halo. Careful not to disturb her, Ross slipped out of the bed and searched around the room for his clothes. He dressed quickly, omitting his shirt for the moment as he couldn't find it.

Exiting the bedroom, Ross quietly went around the flat, trying each door until he found the bathroom. He came across the other bedroom in the flat which was empty, and he remembered Demelza saying her flatmate was away, by contrast to Demelza's room this one was decorated and looked lived in from the brief glance that Ross saw. In the bathroom, Ross relieved himself and splashed some water on his face hoping to wake himself up a little.

Re-entering Demelza's room, Ross spotted the glasses of water and headache tablets. Ross took one of the tablets with some of the water, then finished off the glass hoping it would start to relieve the pain in his head. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Ross took a moment to examine his sleeping companion. Her makeup had smudged during the night, but she still looked lovely.

Ross searched around his trouser pockets for his phone, he had not looked at it all night, and now he scrolled through the multiple missed calls. Most were from Elizabeth, and a few were from Francis, there were several text messages as well, but Ross couldn't bring himself to read through them yet.

A groan from the bed caught his attention, and Ross's gaze moved from his phone and back to Demelza. She was sat up now, head in hands. Before Ross had the chance to ask her if she was ok, she ran from the room holding the sheet to her, one hand covering her mouth. Ross waited patiently for her return, and after about five minutes she came back and sat beside him.

"I'm never drinking again." She murmured absently, before reaching over for the pills and water that Ross handed her. While she had been in the bathroom, no doubt puking up whatever was left in her stomach, she had taken off her makeup and looked years younger than Ross had first thought. She couldn't have been much older than nineteen, nearly ten years younger than himself.

"I assume you don't normally drink so much?" Ross asked, a little amused at how trashed she was.

"I don't normally drink, last night was a special occasion." She explained, glancing up at him. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"I'm sure I feel as dreadful as you do." Ross replied with a small smile.

"I meant about your ex-fiancée." Demelza clarified, causing Ross's smile to fade as he paused to consider it for a moment. Truthfully he had not thought of Elizabeth until Demelza had brought up the subject, and he found that with the time lapse he felt a little better about the whole mess. He didn't feel good about what had happened, but he no longer felt quite so self-destructive, which he considered an improvement.

"If she's still at my flat, I think I will be able to face her." Ross said, although not feeling too much conviction in his words.

"Do you think you will be able to forgive her?" A question like that usually came with an agenda, but Demelza did not ask it as though she was pushing for a particular answer, she sounded more curious than anything else. Ross shook his head, and immediately regretted the action which made his head pound.

"I started having doubts about being with her while I was away, whenever we talked on the phone or by skype she never seemed to really engage with what I was doing, she seemed more concerned about wedding plans." Demelza lightly took his hand in a comforting gesture that Ross appreciated.

"I know it's not her fault for not understanding what I was feeling, but I felt so disconnected from her while I was away. When I came home, I thought everything would return to normal and we would get married like everyone expected us to. Seeing her with my cousin shattered any kind of illusion I might have had. Even if I could forgive her for what she did, I could never forget and I could never take her back." It was the first time Ross had really aired his concerns about Elizabeth, and it was strangely liberating.

"What about your cousin? Can you forgive him?"

"I honestly do not know." Ross looked pensive. "I guess time will tell."

"On a cheerier note," Demelza paused to pull on an oversized hoodie from a drawer, "I make nice French toast, want some breakfast?" Demelza's cookery ambitions promised that such a breakfast would be far better than anything Ross could produce, and the thought did immediately help to distract him from his family problems.

"That sounds great."

Following her to the kitchen, Ross was immediately pushed into a chair as Demelza busied herself around the kitchen, assembling everything she needed. The kitchen was so tiny that it was a wonder how she managed to get anything done. Kitchen counters separated the cooking area from the dining area, if it could even be called that, and somehow she and her flatmate had managed to squeeze in a tiny table and two chairs. Demelza declined his offer to help, so Ross decided to take the time to go through his text messages, his reading accompanied by the background sound of Demelza singing to herself as she cooked.

Francis had sent one message that was a simple and to the point apology. Surprisingly there were quite a few messages from Verity who expressed her shock at the recent tidings, and the messages increased in worry as she frantically demanded to where he was and if he was okay. No doubt she was worried that Ross had done something stupid and was potentially lying dead in a ditch somewhere. He sent her a quick reply, informing her that he that he was in fact alive, if a little hungover, and a reply arrived nearly immediately.

Verity Poldark: _Thank goodness, I was so worried. I've been looking everywhere for you, where are you?_

Ross dodged the question, explaining that he would be returning to his flat later that day. His answer seemed to mollify Verity as she did not ask him again where he was. Verity offered to visit him that evening at the flat and bring takeout, an offer which Ross accepted as he had not had the chance to see her since he had returned.

The rest of the messages were all from Elizabeth, they varied in tone from heartfelt apologies, desperate pleas for her to be given a chance to explain and irate messages where she cursed his stubbornness and called him a child for ignoring her. Ross did not bother answering any of the messages, instead putting the phone away as Demelza carried over two steaming plates of toast with some cutlery. Ross accepted his own plate gratefully, the enticing scent of cinnamon making his mouth water.

The first bite was near magical, and not just because Ross had been eating military food for the past year. Over her own plate, Demelza was looking at him apprehensively. Compared to her confidence of the night before, she now seemed surprisingly shy, and Ross wondered whether yesterday her actions had mostly been motivated by Dutch courage.

"This is really good." Ross told her honestly, receiving a bright smile in response to the compliment. Now that he was a sober, he noticed that Demelza was astonishingly easy to read, her emotions clearly painted across her face. In that aspect she completely differed from Elizabeth who had been raised to conceal what she really thought, it was refreshing.

The food settled Ross's rolling stomach, and the strong coffee that Demelza brought over did wonders for his aching head and exhaustion. Ross snuck glances at Demelza as the two ate, feeling a little conflicted. He had only broken his engagement the day before, and he was in no frame of mind to start another relationship so soon. It would not be fair on himself or Demelza. At the same time, the thought of never seeing Demelza again was equally as unpalatable. The sunny and cheerful disposition that had appeared after her bad mood had faded was oddly addictive, and Ross wanted to experience being in her presence again. It would have been a lie if Ross denied that the sex of the night before was not also playing a large part in his decision.

Plates emptied, Demelza cleared them away to a sink in the kitchen. Ross approached her quietly, causing Demelza to jump slightly in surprise when she turned around to find him so close. She breathed out a somewhat shaky laugh, and smiled timidly at him.

"I'm going to have to leave." Ross told her simply, he wanted to stay but he had a lot to do. His father's belongings needed to be sorted, and he would have to return to his flat to confront Elizabeth if she was still there.

"Alright." Demelza bit her lip, the same conflict that Ross had been considering clearly flashing across her face. Ross hesitated a little.

"I would like to see you again." He admitted. "But, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, I'm not sure if I'm ready for another relationship so soon." To his relief she did not seem offended by his suggestion.

"I don't know if I want another relationship either." She agreed, reminding Ross that she too had also had a recent breakup. Ross offered her his phone which she took gingerly, clearly scared of damaging the extremely expensive piece of technology, and typed in her phone number before handing it back to him.

"Not that I mind the view," Demelza said mischievously, "but you should probably finish getting dressed before leaving." Ross nodded a little sheepishly and returned to Demelza's bedroom to collect his possessions, he eventually found his shirt that had somehow ended up underneath the bed. Checking that he hadn't left anything he left the room, and was escorted by Demelza to the front door of the flat, Demelza yawning a little in exhaustion.

"You should go back to bed." Ross told her. "It doesn't look like you had much sleep."

"I wonder whose fault that was." Demelza said, an amused sparkle in her eyes. Ross grinned and leaned in for one last kiss, her hand reaching up to gently grip his shoulders. If Ross had any doubts that she would be more than a one night stand, the kiss firmly rid him of them.

* * *

Reality was starting to sink in again the further Ross moved from Demelza's flat. Without the numbing effect of the alcohol, the exercise meant that Ross's injured leg was starting to twinge in pain. Cursing a little under his breath, Ross hailed a passing cab, he had originally been planning on getting the bus but did not think he could handle the journey.

Arriving at his flat, Ross unlocked the door already feeling the beginning of dread. At the entrance to the flat, Ross called out tentatively. There was no response. Breathing out a small sigh of relief, Ross explored his home. It appeared that Elizabeth had taken his threat seriously as he could not see any of her belongings, Ross paused in the bedroom to observe that the bed had been made since he had last been in the flat. That action would be a waste as Ross fully intended to either burn the sheets or give them away to a charity shop.

Fishing out some of his clothes from the wardrobe, Ross decided the best thing to do was to get himself cleaned up, take some painkillers and then head to his father's home to start making headway on organising his father's possessions.

In the bathroom, about to take a shower, Ross noticed that Elizabeth had forgotten to clear the room. Scattered around the counters were several of her beauty products, and with a fresh burst of anger Ross noticed that there were also a few men's products interspersed, all brands that Ross did not use. It definitely seemed as though the scene he had walked in on the previous day was not a one-off event.

Ross took a moment to gather up everything in that room that didn't belong to him and put it all the bin. He then found his own products stored in one of the bathroom cabinets where he had left them and showered quickly before changing into some less conspicuous clothing than his military uniform. He was combing his hair when he heard the faint sound of knocking at the front door. Eyes narrowing, Ross abandoned the comb and moved closer to the entrance.

The door opened and Elizabeth stepped in confidently before suddenly halting as she caught sight of a distinctly unhappy looking Ross. Unlike the last time he had seen her where she had looked distinctly out of sorts, she was now dressed impeccably. He wondered where she had spent the night, and his irritated mind immediately conjured up the image of Francis's nearby flat.

"Ross." She greeted with uncharacteristic hesitance.

"What are you doing here?" Ross asked before she could speak again.

"This is my flat too." Elizabeth sounded strangely injured, as though she had been expecting him to say something else.

"I pay for the flat, therefore it is mine." It was a little juvenile, but knowing that some of his pay had been going towards the flat's rent while he was in Afghanistan so that Elizabeth could entertain Francis riled Ross. Elizabeth paused as if to calm herself.

"I wanted the chance to explain, to apologise." She began, pointedly ignoring Ross's previous statement.

"There is nothing to say." There was no excuse or reason that could suitably justify her actions.

"Yes there is. Ross we were _engaged_ , are we really going to throw all of that away for a stupid mistake?" Her eyes were shining with tears which would have moved Ross if he was not so angry.

"Perhaps you should have thought about that before." Ross said unsympathetically.

"You were gone for a year," Elizabeth explained frantically, "I was lonely and Francis was so kind and supportive." Elizabeth seemed to realise the mistake she had made in bringing up the subject of Francis as she immediately looked regretful.

"You knew that I would be gone for a year, I told you that military service was a family tradition." Ross told her as calmly as he could, given the circumstances. She had known from the start of their relationship that he would be going into the army, and had never cited any objections at the time or even when they had kissed goodbye at the airport.

"Yes, a _tradition_. You did not _have_ to go, Francis certainly didn't!" Struggling to hold his temper, Ross forced his voice to be calm and level as he replied.

"I might have been able to forgive an affair, if you had chosen anyone else." Ross said coldly. "But you chose my cousin, my closest childhood friend, and the worst part is that you don't even seem to really regret it."

Elizabeth stared at him in disbelief, tears freely flowing, Elizabeth fled the flat leaving Ross on his own. Suddenly exhausted, Ross sat on a nearby couch and massaged his temples, the argument having worsened his headache. The events of the last few days caught up with him as well as the accompanying tiredness that came with not having slept properly for a long time, and it wasn't long until Ross found himself drifting to sleep.

* * *

The sound of banging on the door woke Ross up from his uneasy slumber. Groaning as he realised that no doubt Elizabeth must have come back for Round 2, Ross forced himself to stand and answer the door. Instead of Elizabeth, Verity stood there holding a bag of takeout.

"Did you forget about me?" Verity asked upon seeing his surprised face.

"I did." Ross admitted. "It has been a long day."

"I can imagine." Verity wrapped him up in a hug. "Francis told me what happened. He feels very bad about the whole situation."

"I'm sure." Ross replied sarcastically, but hugged her back. When she let go of him, it was to fix him with a suspicious glare.

"Where did you go yesterday? I almost organised a search party I was so worried." Ross remembered the mass of anxious texts.

"I'm sorry I worried you, I needed some time to myself."

"Well we can talk about your behaviour later, otherwise the food will go cold." Ross almost sighed audibly, he had been hoping to avoid an interrogation from Verity but she seemed determined to find out the cause of his evasiveness.

Realising that he hadn't eaten anything all day since Demelza's French toast, Ross was grateful that Verity seemed to have bought in bulk.

"How is your father?" Ross asked.

"Not so well, the doctor had a serious word with him about improving his diet and exercise to reduce his heart attack risk."

"And Charles ignored the advice." Ross continued knowingly, causing Verity to nod sadly.

"I moved back into Trenwith to try to help, but I've not been very successful so far."

"At least you're trying." Ross said supportively.

"What about you, how is your leg?" She glanced down, as though expecting there to be some visible sign of his injury.

"A little painful, but nothing I can't handle. I strained it a little this morning when I was walking back from-" Ross stopped suddenly as he realised that in Verity's presence he had relaxed enough to say more than he had initially wanted to.

"Walking back from where?" Verity asked pointedly, putting to rest any hopes Ross had that she might have let the issue drop.

"I stayed at a friend's home on the outskirts of town." Ross explained vaguely, Verity looked a little satisfied to finally find out something about Ross's disappearance.

"Anyone I know?" Ross shook his head. "Well I'm glad you were safe and with friends, getting drunk by yourself is never a good path to take." Ross agreed with a nod.

Meal finished, Verity glanced at her watch and swore quietly.

"I'm sorry I can't stay any longer, I need to go home and make sure Dad takes his medication. If I don't prompt him he will probably forget."

"I understand." Verity hugged him goodbye.

"If you need anything, or if you need to talk, you know where I am." Ross thanked her for the offer, but privately thought that he probably would not take her up on it anytime soon, visiting her came with the risk of encountering Francis again, a meeting that Ross wanted to delay as late as possible.

With Verity gone, Ross was once again left alone in the flat. The spacious rooms seemed emptier than ever and made him long for the cramped cosiness of Demelza's flat. It was late, he had managed to sleep through most of the day but he still felt tired. There was no way that Ross could get to his father's home and have it prepared in a reasonable time for him to get to bed at a decent hour, his own bedroom in the flat was still out of the question as Ross did not even want to return to the room again. There was the option that he could go back to sleep on the couch again, but his back already ached painfully from his nap.

A possible solution to his problem came to mind, and pulling out his phone, Ross scrolled through the contacts until he found 'Demelza Carne'. Hoping that she hadn't come to regret their night together, Ross pressed call.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Thanks for the support guys, I'm glad you're interested in the premise. I have only the vaguest of plans for this fic, and I hope you guys can see the little call backs to the series I keep making. Thanks for the reviews!** **is answer** **I had the first half of this chapter written before I posted the first chapter, so don't expect the update to be as quick for the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Previously: A possible solution to his problem came to mind, and pulling out his phone, Ross scrolled through the contacts until he found 'Demelza Carne'. Hoping that she hadn't come to regret their night together, Ross pressed call.**

* * *

Scars to Mend

Chapter 3

Over the next few days, Ross was finally able to bring himself to visit his childhood home and begin the unpleasant task of packing away his father's possessions. The estate felt as empty as a tomb, and nearly as dirty, clearly showing that the cleaners had not visited since his father was admitted into hospital. Ross would no doubt have to have words with them once he found them, but that would have to wait until he made the house habitable.

His first job of packing his father's belongings was not easy as each item of clothing and each piece of carefully collected memorabilia brought with it a flood of memories of his father as a healthy man, and Ross felt a stab of regret and loss each time he was forced to relive them. He had not been able to bring himself to throw anything away, it would be some time before he would be ready for that, and so until that time the boxes were being stored out of sight in the basement.

Because of how emotionally charged the work was, Ross had to take frequent breaks while he was packing the boxes, and he used those breaks to examine his father's paperwork and files on the family business. That had been its own flavour of misery, profits had been dwindling for years due to poor management and it would take a lot of work to get the business back to a manageable level.

On a better note, by spending most of his time at the house Ross had managed to avoid Elizabeth since their encounter at the flat, although he was well aware that she was still trying to speak to him as Verity had texted him to let him know that Elizabeth was searching around his old haunts to try to find him. The house was the only place she did not dare step foot near.

Ross still had not been able to bring himself to sleep at Nampara, he knew that he would have to move into the master bedroom eventually but it was taking time to come to terms with that decision. So while he was clearing his father's house during the day, at night he had the company of Demelza at her home. She had been a little hesitant about inviting Ross back to her flat, something that Ross did not begrudge her as they still did not know much about each other, but her own good nature had not been able to refuse his clear need for somewhere to stay. The few nights he had spent at her flat had the positive effect of getting the both of them better acquainted, and while Demelza was still a little guarded she at least seemed convinced that he wasn't an axe murderer.

"Tonight's the last night I'm going to need to stay here." Ross murmured against her bare shoulder, pressing a light kiss to her skin once he had finished speaking.

"Really, so soon?" She turned around sleepily to face him, a strand of hair falling over her eyes. "It will be strange once you're gone, and I have the bed to myself again."

"Well you've not been sleeping alone for very long, you said your last relationship only ended recently." Ross pointed out. From the state of her room he had managed to guess she had not been living there long, which must have meant that she had been living with her ex until the breakup, and then had decided to move in with a friend.

"Yeah." She said softly, not meeting Ross's gaze. Realising that this was not a topic she wished to talk about, he scrambled for a change of subject.

"Thank you for letting me stay." Ross said sincerely, doing his best to catch her eye. "I imagine it must have been quite an imposition."

"It was nothing." She murmured distractedly.

"It wasn't." Ross objected. "Can I take you out to dinner as a thank you?" The question seemed to shake her out of whatever thoughts she had been consumed by.

"I thought we weren't in a relationship." Demelza said with a raised eyebrow and a slight smile.

"Dinner doesn't mean relationship."

"Dinner sounds nice then." She yawned and curled up against him, her warm form fitting neatly against his own. Ross held her as her breaths evened out, wondering what secrets she was hiding and if they would ever be close enough for Demelza to trust him with them.

* * *

The next morning saw Ross putting away the final few boxes in the house's basement and begin the task of cleaning the rest of the house. Much to his surprise, Verity made an appearance soon after he let her know his plans for the day, and he opened the front door to find her armed with cleaning equipment.

"Verity!" He had greeted in surprise, looking questioningly at the items she was carrying.

"I figured you might need some help." She said brightly, giving him an amused look that suggested she thought he was out of his depth concerning the matter.

"Just because I'm a man, doesn't mean I don't know how to clean." He protested, feeling somewhat offended on the behalf of his gender. She did not look repentant and simply raised her eyebrow.

"Ross, you've had cleaners your entire life."

The factual statement served to silence him, and Verity victoriously pushed past him and immediately started issuing orders and pushing mysterious spray bottles into his hands. Submitting to the clearly more knowledgeable party, Ross gave up arguing and did as he was told.

Working together, the tasks were completed far more quickly and thoroughly than he could have done on his own. Once every surface had been scrubbed, dusted or vacuumed, the two collapsed on a couch in the living room, Ross rubbing his leg that had started to ache again.

"Thank you for the help Verity, I'm not sure how I would have managed it without you." He admitted.

"No problem, after all what is family for?" Ross eyed her pointedly, and Verity let out a startled laugh as she remembered what his other family member had been caught doing nearly a week ago. "Have you spoken to Francis yet?" She asked.

"No, not yet. I spoke to Elizabeth briefly once, but aside from that I've managed to avoid them both."

"You can't hide forever." She told him sympathetically.

"I know." Ross said with a frustrated sigh. "I have no doubt I will see them once I start spending more time in the town, which I will have to do to sort the business out."

"The news will no doubt leak to the gossip rags eventually." Verity mused. "They know about your return, and have already noticed that you and Elizabeth have not made any public appearances together." He shrugged.

"The gossip doesn't bother me much."

"I didn't think it would, but I thought it best to let you know." Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of Ross's phone vibrating against the wooden table, it was nearest to Verity so she picked it and passed it to him, a frown creasing her brow.

"Who is Demelza?" She asked.

"A friend." Ross replied, glancing at the text he had received. Demelza had sent him a list of dates and times when she wasn't waitressing or working a bartending shift so that he could book them a table for dinner for when they were both free. He sent a quick message back, informing her that he would compare both schedules and let her know once he had worked out a suitable time, he was acutely aware of Verity's stare fixed on him as she waited impatiently for him to put his phone down.

"Is Demelza the friend you've been staying with?" There was an accusatory edge to her tone, particularly when she used the word 'friend', suggesting that she thought Demelza was anything but that.

"Yes." It was an admission to the unsaid question as well as the one Verity had actually asked. He did not see the point in lying, she knew him too well and could spot insincerity from a mile away.

"Ross, do you really think that was a good idea?" There was a mix of frustration and sadness in her voice, as though she could understand why he had done it but still thought he was wrong.

"It's not serious." He said, avoiding her gaze. "She doesn't want a relationship any more than I do."

"But so soon after everything with Elizabeth and Francis?"

"I know the timing is terrible, but I need something uncomplicated at the moment."

"No kind of relationship is uncomplicated."

"This is." He insisted, and she shook her head clearly unconvinced.

"I hope you're right."

* * *

Once Verity had left, Ross did his best to put her concerns out of his mind as he went to work finding a restaurant and booking a table for himself and Demelza. Bearing Verity's warning about the gossip rags in mind, he was careful to choose a venue that was quiet and hidden away, somewhere discrete enough that no one would recognise him.

Late that night, knowing that Demelza would be awake and working, he texted her the location and time for their dinner. Along with waitressing, she also worked shifts at various bars for extra money, something that Ross had discovered earlier that week when he had wanted to spend the night at her flat and had ended up drinking at the bar she was working at until her shift ended.

 _Demelza Carne: Sounds good, I'll meet you there then. I hope you sleep well._

It would be hours until Demelza would get to her own bed, and all for some extra money. Remembering that she had also been providing him with free food while he had been staying with her, Ross felt a stab of guilt when he realised that feeding an extra person must have taken a small chunk out of her pay, and resolved that he would have to find some way to make it up to her.

In the master bedroom, he eyed the bed critically. Every item, with the exception of the bed itself was brand new, but the thought of sleeping in the same bed as his father had was still deeply uncomfortable. His father may not have died in the bed, but laying in it felt wrong.

Pushing aside his feeling, he forced himself to undress and get in the bed. Sleep did not come easily as all of Ross's new responsibilities seemed to dawn on him. He suddenly felt a near irrational need for Elizabeth's reassuring presence at his side, she was so calm and collected that she would no doubt handle the situation far better than he could. As soon as the thought came, he felt a stab of anger at her as he remembered that things could never return to normal and when it came to dealing with his father's death he was alone.

* * *

Eventually time rolled around to Ross's dinner date with Demelza, and he found himself patiently waiting at his table in the restaurant for her arrival. Soon enough, he saw her arrive at the entrance, dressed in dark red she was difficult to miss, and a waiter led her to the table Ross was sitting at. She smiled brightly at him, and with a moment's hesitation took the seat that the waiter had pulled out for her, clearly not used to being helped to sit.

"I'm glad I dressed up, I would have looked like a fish out of water if I hadn't." Ross winced a little as he realised that he hadn't stopped to consider that Demelza needed to be told about the dress code for the restaurant. Luckily her dress, if a little more revealing than those sported by other women in the establishment, still allowed her to blend in fairly well.

"I'm sorry, I should have given you some warning." She waved off his apology with a tolerant smile.

"You've had a lot on your mind. Have you managed to get some sleep?"

"Not much." He admitted. "It is still too strange."

"That's understandable." She said sympathetically, her hand reaching over to entwine their fingers together. "Were you and your father close?"

"We were. I wish I could have been there for him." She squeezed his hand gently, pulling Ross out of his memories. "Are you close to your father?" He asked and immediately noticed how uncomfortable the question made Demelza.

"No, not since my mother died. I moved out on my sixteenth birthday." The subject of her own father was clearly another touchy matter, to be filed along with her ex-boyfriend in topics not to be discussed.

A waiter moved in at that point, offering the two menus and taking their drinks orders. Apart from the day they met, Demelza had not touched a drop of alcohol in Ross's presence, and she stayed true to form by ordering a glass of water. Briefly scanning the menu, Ross watched Demelza's own examination. Instead of reading along the descriptions, her eyes were fixed on a point in the menu and travelled downwards, her teeth pressing against the corner of her lip in concern. He realised with a start that she was examining the high costs for each dish and probably strategically choosing based on the cheapest.

"Ignore the price and order whatever you want." He told her gently but firmly, and she returned his look with one of doubt and confusion.

"Are you sure?"

"I can afford it." He told her with a smile. His business might have been failing, but Ross was still far from a pauper. No doubt he would have to be more careful about purchases in the future, but he had the majority of his military pay to support him before he would have to dip into his inheritance or start selling off the family silver. Demelza still looked a little wary, but he was gratified to notice that she brightened up once she started examining the dishes on offer in detail.

The waiter returned eventually for their food orders, delivering Demelza's water and Ross's wine at the same time. As they waited for their food to arrive, Demelza entertained Ross with stories of unruly customers she had dealt with in the past, both at the restaurant she worked at and at the various bars.

"Do you think you're any closer to working in the kitchen?" Demelza nodded her head vigorously as she remembered some news she had forgotten to tell him.

"A spot just opened up in the kitchen, as one of the boys is moving out of the city and I've put in an application. The work won't be great- dishwashing and prep work, but it would be a good stepping stone to a bigger role if I do well."

"It would be good for experience as well." Ross suggested.

"That too." She agreed with a grin.

Food arrived soon after that, and Ross did not even attempt to start a conversation as he watched with great amusement as Demelza dissected her meal, clearly trying to identify each ingredient that had been put into making it.

Three courses later, Ross paid the bill and the two left the restaurant, hailing down a passing cab before it could drive away from them. Demelza joined him in the taxi without hesitation, tiredly resting her head against his shoulder. Verity's concerns briefly came to mind, but Ross forced himself to dismiss the thought.

"My place or yours?" Ross asked.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **So I'm not sure how clear it is, but the somewhat undefined Ross/Demelza relationship is meant to reflect the first weeks of their marriage in the series, before Ross actually starts to really appreciate her and minus Demelza already being in love with him (since they still barely know each other). Next chapter there will be a little time jump, and Ross is finally going to speak to Francis. Thanks for all the reviews! :)**


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